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Andraste Aedelwood
Titles: Scion of House Aedelwood, PhD, Associate Professor of Continental Elven Studies at Goldenrood University, The Only One who Knows What's Going On Age: 379 Class and Level: Warlock 5, Rogue 1 Race: High Elf Affiliations: Andraste's Adventuring Party, The Elven Nation (Elfstralia), Mysterious as Yet Unnamed Powers Beyond Mortal Ken Early Life Andraste was born and grew up in Kingspire, before the Elves were banished from The Lyric Empire. Her grandmother, Katrinae, was a famous ranger known among the elves for her ancestral greatbow and her giant owl companion. Both her and Andraste's mother, Killashandra, went to fight in the war with the dwarves when Andraste was only 70. Katrinae was felled at the battle of Greenglades, and Killashandra and her young daughter fled to the newly founded nation of Elfstralia across the sea. In Elfstralia, Andraste grew up proud and intelligent under the guidance of her mother, a notable politician among the Elven upper classes. She excelled at elven history and culture, as well as diplomacy and politics. After many years of study at various institutes of learning, Andraste set sail for The Lyric Empire to gather information for her thesis, as well as uncover information to write a set of histories on the Elven people. First steps in The Lyric Empire "This book is dedicated to Eglantine Underfoot, Navin Farr-Riardon, Seraena Moon and Grom. Without them, much which was lost would never have been reclaimed." - From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Illustrated Histories of an Elven Empire ''(Currently unpublished) After landing in Whaletown, Andraste initially set out alone with her wagon of books and a newly purchased shire horse. However, in the 300 years since she had been there last much had changed, and she found herself making little progress. Striking out westwards, Andraste stayed overnight at an inn called 'The Buxom Oyster'. There she met a halfling by the name of Eglantine Underfoot, who impressed her with her resourcefulness, knowledge of the local area and skill at defusing tension. She approached Egg with the offer of being her guide in return for gold and adventure, and Egg readily accepted. Under Egg's suggestion, the pair then headed out towards Last Hearth in search of clues about the Elven history of the area. Along the road, they met a pair of unlikely travelers - a half-elf wild mage called Navin and an orcish paladin called Grom. After sharing the campfire with them and hearing their amazing and frankly unbelievable stories about their martial prowess and previous conquests, Andraste recruited them in the ongoing search for knowledge in these blasted swamplands. Last Hearth and the Western Swamps "Before this book, our most recent texts still described the western lands as fertile farmland - the breadbasket of an Empire. I am sorry to say that the Empire's war with the undead has irrevocably changed these lands, and all that remains is desolate swampland filled with corpses both sleeping and arisen. Understandably, this makes searching for evidence of the Old Empire considerably more challenging." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Illustrated Histories of an Elven Empire ''(Currently unpublished)' Upon reaching Last Hearth, Andraste and the rest of the party inquired about local places of interest, and investigated opportunities to increase their standing in the town as well as the size of their money pouches. The mayor mentioned missing farmers, and the chance of a reward. Investigating the lead, the party discovered the missing bodies of most of the farmers, and recovered the youngest, Benji, from a group of Antler cultists. Investigating further, they co-operated with the local army encampment to track and put down a group of deserter bandits. With coffers a little more full and their reputation growing, Andraste's party went to investigate rumours of a dragon in the area. While they didn't discover a dragon, they did slay a hag which had been troubling the town, and they gifted its head to the army encampment. Finally, they heard rumours of an elven settlement to the North. Elven Mortuary and Aedelwood Heirlooms "Illustration 6b shows the intricate stonework used by these elves to describe the deeds of those who had died. Judging from the crest in illustration 6c, I believe these elves to have been of either House Cambien or House Juiparcen. Tantalisingly, the names of some of the more important heroes have been eroded by time, and no amount of magical assistance could retrieve them." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Illustrated Histories of an Elven Empire ''(Currently unpublished)' The building quickly revealed itself to be an elven mortuary, with the remaining records pointing to sky burial as the preferred method of putting heroes to rest. After killing the harpy vermin that were inhabiting the building, Andraste and the party set to work documenting the building. While doing so, they also cleared out a nest of spiders and a pair of breeding Perytons. As well as recovering many priceless historical treasures, Andraste also recovered a bow closely resembling her grandmother's. Finally, she was one step closer to finding out what happened to her grandmother, and towards discovering new details about Elven life before the exile. The Orphan Elf and a Brush with the Fae "Whether it's due to the war with the undead or some other malign influence I cannot say, but the Fae are unusually prevalent in the Western Swamps. The Court of Blades is the most obvious, and may be the source of the ever present 'Antler Cultists', as their antlers do 'look a bit like a deer'." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Creatures of The Lyric Empire in the Year 313AE ''(Currently unpublished)' On their way back from the Elven ruins, the party were ambushed by a group of ghouls. Surprisingly, a Wood Elf ranger named Seraena came to their assistance, explaining that she was hunting a hag who had come through this area. Thankful for her help and intrigued at the mention of another hag, the party agreed to help Seraena in her quest. While tracking the hag, the group came near to Benji's farm, the same boy they had previously rescued from cultists. Deciding to check in on him to make sure he was safe, the party found a number of shrines to Antler, arranged in a circle around his farm. Benji himself was unharmed, but terrified of the creatures in the woods. After an uneasy night in Benji's cottage where the fae creatures outside attempted to gain entry, the party, led by Andraste's knowledge of the occult, sought to banish the creatures. Through a combination of destroying the Antler shrines and creating a shrine to the Champion of Champions, the fae influence was removed and the creatures rendered unable to enter - Benji was safe again thanks to the party. They then set off again in search of the hag. Of Hags and Alchemy "Traditional wisdom is that hags travel in groups of three, and act as a sort of coven. Current evidence suggests that hags do indeed travel in groups, and that they show a great deal of loyalty towards their coven-sisters, even going as far as to use their tremendous powers of alchemy to raise them from the dead should they be slain." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Creatures of The Lyric Empire in the Year 313AE ''(Currently unpublished)' The hag's trail led to an abandoned city, destroyed and flooded during the undead war. Using their skill in stealth and helped by their crafty new wood elf friend, the party snuck up on the hag as she used some kind of potion to attempt to resurrect her friend - the hag that the party had previously slain. After a swift and decisive battle, both hags were killed and burnt along with their animated plant servants. Andraste was puzzled by the hag's dying words about trying to save the world, and she took the hag's potion supplies to attempt to understand their secrets. Now that the hag was defeated, it seemed as though Seraena's time with the party was at an end, but the party's competence and Moon-Moon's affection for Egg persuaded her to stay, and join in their quest for answers - including potentially discovering more about her own family history. Monkton at Night "The attack on Last Hearth and the subsequent Siege of Rederring are correctly described as the first major battlegrounds of the Second War - but they were not the first incidents in general. Before the main invasion, multiple accounts of unusual numbers of undead were reported from across Blackfell." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Chronicle of the Second Undead Incursion ''(Currently unpublished)' After their successful hag hunt, the party returned to Last Hearth to resupply. There, the Mayor was eventually persuaded to hire them to seek out a caravan which should have arrived along the coastal road, but which was now several weeks late. Their first stop along the road was a small fishing village called Monkton, which was mysteriously boarded up. After some negotiations, the scared villagers explained they had been plagued by a strange flock of birds which had slain one of their kinsmen. The party chose to rid the town of this menace, laying a trap after nightfall and killing the compelled corvids. However, this was not to be the end of the trouble in Monkton. Egg, while celebrating the halfling holiday of Bacon Christmas, was ambushed by a dark figure who already knew her name. In the following fight, it became clear that the party was facing an evil almost beyond their abilities - a vampire who drank from both Egg and Andraste, and who compelled the otherwise immovable Grom into doing his bidding. With the help of the radiant damage from the Aedelwood ancestral bow, the creature was forced to retreat back to his lair and the villagers could finally breathe easy. Unfortunately, it wasn't to last. The Siege of Rederring and the Last of Last Hearth "The town which we previously knew as Hearthglow on the western edge of the Empire was destroyed and renamed during the first war - Last Hearth. The first act of the second war was to destroy it again. This historian can only hope that the same determination to survive which pushed the town to rise from the ashes once can do it again." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Chronicle of the Second Undead Incursion ''(Currently unpublished)' Continuing after the missing caravan, the party moved Eastwards on the coastal road. Along the way, they began to encounter more and more undead, both mobile and re-deceased. This culminated in meeting the remains of the Last Hearth military force in the wreckage of a terrible battle. They told the party that the road to the East had been blocked by a landslide, which also killed most of their men. The undead were organised, and in greater numbers than had been seen in 30 years. Andraste used her magical talent to contact the cities of Cannering, Whaletown and Last Hearth. Tragically for Last Hearth, the warning came too late. The undead had overthrown the town with an army of uncountable numbers, and the remnants of the town were now fleeing East. With nowhere else to run to, the party led the remains of the army to the refugees from Last Hearth, and together they holed up in the abandoned castle of Rederring. With scant time to prepare and outnumbered 1000 to 1, it didn't look good for the besieged. But by a combination of skilled tactics and lucky shots the army were held off, and with Andraste having called in a rescue ship from Whaletown, it looked as though they might survive. Just as they were beginning to relax, the undead horde stopped and made a path for a mysterious female goliath. Calling herself The Keeper, the goliath called the undead to carry on going East, but not before demonstrating immense magical power and collapsing the castle on top of its inhabitants. Heading North "At least today wasn't a total disaster. Turns out the people in Last Hearth were too panicked to take their things with them when they left, and their loss is our gain. I might finally be able to afford a horse..." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's Private Collected Letters and Diaries (Translated from the original Elvish)' Sheer luck and the fact that the refugees had hidden in the basement saved them from the falling castle. The ship from the capital arrived shortly afterwards, and began to evacuate the townspeople and the army. While the party were offered a place on the ship, they chose instead to press on to the North, to attempt to discover the source of the undead as well as to check in on family and loved ones. Their first stop was the ruined city of Last Hearth, razed by the undead. After slaying some ghouls and liberating some goods, the party headed North along the river to The Buxom Oyster, to enjoy the fabled hospitality of Egg's adoptive family, particularly her charming sister. Finally, they came to Navin's childhood home, the town of Grann's Crossing. Trouble in the Family "Following The Exile of the Elves and their subsequent disenfranchisement, the first elf to be called 'Lord' was Lord Navin Farr-Riardon of Grann's Crossing, in the year 313AE. Admittedly, Lord Farr-Riardon was a half-elf rather than a full elf, but this still set a precedent that gave the elves hope that they might one day be able to return to their old lands and retake their old titles." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Law in The Lyric Empire: Elves After Exile ''(Currently unpublished)' The party had planned to enter the island via the grand Southern Bridge, but they arrived to find it had been blown, and the only way across was via ferry. While negotiating passage they encountered Navin's father - Geoffrey Farr. He told the story of the undead attacking the town, and his wife (Navin's mother, Angharad Riarden) blowing the bridge in order to save the people of the town. Unfortunately for her, Lord Anders Farr had than imprisoned her for treason, claiming that the bridge was not hers to destroy. Knowing injustice when they saw it and eager to free Navin's mother, the party immediately set out to meet Lord Anders. After a frosty reception in which Anders made his hatred for elves quite clear, he agreed to let the party act as the defence for Angharad. Through cunningly manipulating his racist expectations and through Andraste's legal knowledge, the party surprised Anders by calling for trial by combat. However, to everyone's surprise, Anders chose to fight himself rather than calling on one of his subordinates. As the duel was to be with rapiers, Seraena volunteered to face him. Anders proved to be a formidable warrior, but with a little help from the party Seraena triumphed, forcing him to use his backup plan - a magic sword surreptitiously swapped out by his lackey. As this violated the terms of the duel, Anders had not only lost but forfeited. With the crowd well and truly on his side, Navin announced that he would now fight Anders for the Lordship - a battle which he won easily by vaporising his head with a surge of wild magic. Angharad was now free, and Navin was now Lord Farr-Riardon. Tracking the Family of Seraena Moon "The greatest of the elven heroes were honoured with whole halls commemorating their lives and deeds. A combination of engraved stone and living wood, these halls are often still used by elven clans as staging posts or even homes." '- From Andraste Aedelwood's ''Illustrated Histories of an Elven Empire ''(Currently unpublished)' Having settled matters in Grann's Crossing and having taken possession of horses and supplies, the party pressed on into Wood Elf territories. They headed towards Grassview, hoping to meet the descendants of Sereana's human family. However, which they got to the town they found it long deserted, with signs of old elven arrows in the trees. Following the path North, the land was silent and dark and seemed to grow more evil the further they traveled. They soon came to an old elven hall, a memorial to a hero from the founding of the Empire. After defeating the corrupted treant guardian, the party found a tunnel in the rock at the back of the hall, impassable due to the poisonous mushrooms and other plants that choked its walls and floor. Andraste used her magic to investigate, and found the humans of Grassview possessed by unknown fungus, as well as what looked like a wild rune in the centre of the room. Unanimously, the group knew it would be kinder to kill the infested humans than to leave them here to plague more innocent people. They slew the mushroom men, and burned the bodies. Navin and Grom then destroyed the rune, stopping the source of the blight. Notable Quotes " - Rolls Eyes -" "You will give that book back unharmed or you will lose the use of your hands." " - Deep, exasperated sigh -" "Shut up Grom." "Darling hush, the adults are talking."